


Eyes Up

by rage_quitter



Category: Destiny (Video Games), Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, MCD but they come back to life, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, destiny au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-08
Updated: 2018-04-03
Packaged: 2019-03-01 23:24:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13305549
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rage_quitter/pseuds/rage_quitter
Summary: In a world bleak and cold with Darkness, where can hope be found? What does it mean to be a Guardian? Light lives in all things, in all places; and sometimes, it takes unusual sources as a reminder of that.





	1. We Belong In The Wilds

**Author's Note:**

> Part one of Destinywatch!
> 
> Hanzo, a newly risen Guardian, wakes after hundreds of years slumped over the corpse of his brother, staring at a strange cowboy and some funny floating robots. They have to move fast, so for the unfortunate brothers, explanation will have to wait; the Fallen have found them.

He took his first breath, and fire burst in his body.

Flames shot through his chest as he jerked upright. His hands clung at dry, cool earth and he gasped.

“Whoa, there, partner, easy does it,” said a gentle voice.

He could see, now, he realized. He blinked in the bright light. In front of him, a man was kneeling. He wore boots and a red cape or something, and a wide-brimmed hat. There was a gun and a knife at his hip. Over the cape and strapped to his back, he could see the long barrel of what was clearly a sniper rifle.

The man angled his head. “Hey, can you hear me? You doin’ alright?”

He sat up. He felt… he didn’t know. Like he should be in pain, but with the first breath in his lungs over, he felt more full of life than he could--

Remember.

The man held out a hand, palm down and fingers splayed, a gesture for him to remain calm. “First breath is a hell of a rush, ain’t it?” he said with a small smile. “Not many folks get to have their first breath more than once. You’re alright, there, Guardian.”

He knit his brow.

“Bit much to take in, I know. Why don’t you back up a bit so this little fella can get up your… friend, there.” The man gestured down at the dirt.

He was laying on top of old, dry bones, a skeleton half-buried in the dirt.

Inches from his own hand was the hilt of a long, curved sword, the rusty blade of which rested within the crumbled rib cage of the bones.

His next breath wasn’t full of fire, but hurt just as bad, deep in his gut. He jerked back, away from the bones.

“Whoa, whoa, it’s okay,” said the man.

“You have to move too, you know,” said another voice.

The man huffed and stood up. He stepped back, and his boots jingled with the movement. From behind him, a small… _thing_ appeared, floating near his head. It was a small orb with a few pointed parts and a light that mimicked an eye. A tiny robot.

The man looked at him, then at the floating thing. “Oh, right. Sorry. This is Star. She’s my Ghost.”

The Ghost looked over at him. The pointed pieces rotated. “Hey,” she said. “Your Ghost thought it would be best if we let another person take over helping you back to the world of the living.”

He felt it before he heard it; something electric in his limbs, a feeling of something he could only describe as existence, as part of him, to his side. It whirred softly beside him, and he turned his head to see another Ghost. “Hello. I’m Seiryu,” it said in a gentle male voice. “It was very hard to find you. They helped a lot.”

A third Ghost--how many were there?--approached. It flew low over the skeleton. It turned to the man and seemed to nod. “Thank you for helping us find our Guardians.”

The man tipped his hat. “I’ll help y’all back to the City, too, don’t you worry none, Zenyatta.”

The Ghost split apart into a translucent ball of soft blue light, the points rotating around the orb in the center. Bright white light shimmered over the body, almost too bright to look at, and he had to look away.

When he looked back, there was a man laying in the dirt. As he watched, the man gasped and his eyes flew open.

He pushed himself upright to his knees, eyes wide and vivid green.

He had been clutching his stomach. His hand relaxed now.

“Hey, easy, there,” said the man in the hat once more, stepped into sight of the other man with an easy smile. “Welcome back to the world of the living, partner.”

The man looked at him, then turned his head again.

“Hanzo,” said the man, softly.

“Genji.”

The Ghosts and the man in the hat all shared a look.

“Well, that’s… nothin’ I’ve ever seen before,” the man muttered.

“Wait, wait, no-- what happened?” Genji asked.

Hanzo shook his head. “I… I do not remember.”

“You remember more than I did, if you know your names,” the man said. “You died a long, long time ago.”

Hanzo looked back at the sword and felt ice spear into his gut.

Had he killed him?

“I don’t remember… anything…” Genji said. “Dead? What do you mean? Where are we?”

“You’re on Earth,” Star said.

“You are Guardians,” Zenyatta explained. “Champions of the Light. The Traveler chose you to wield its power to protect humanity. And so we found you. I am Zenyatta. I’m your Ghost.”

“Aw, shoot, never introduced myself,” the man said. “Jesse McCree, just McCree is fine. Hunter, gunslinger, your ride back to the City. We gotta book it soon, though. Fallen like to scavenge ‘round here.”

Fallen, Hanzo thought. He knew what they were. Spider-like humanoids--aliens.

“A Ghost?” Genji asked. He reached up, nearly brushing his fingers on Zenyatta, but not touching him. “What do you do?”

“Lots of things,” he replied, sounding amused. “Bring you back to life, for one thing.”

“The Speaker at the City can explain everything,” McCree said. “I just kinda shoot all the bad guys.” He shrugged.

“And help find new Guardians, apparently,” Star scoffed. She buzzed around him. “You guys were lucky we were in the area. Hopefully Reyes won’t mind if we put a hold on the mission to bring some new friends home.”

McCree waved a hand and stepped forward. He held out a hand to Hanzo. “Up and at ‘em. Hanzo, then?”

He nodded and accepted his hand. He was warm. McCree similarly helped Genji to his feet and looked between the two. “Damn… y’all look real similar.”

Seiryu flew around in front of them. “You really do. Maybe you were siblings.”

Zenyatta looked them over as well and looked to Seiryu. “Amazing,” he said. “The Traveler works in such mysterious ways.”

Hanzo looked over at Genji. He couldn’t remember a single thing, but he could feel it nonetheless. Genji smiled at him. “I think we were,” Genji said.

Hanzo gave a small nod of agreement. The sword burned in the dirt.

“What do we do now?” Genji asked.

“We go to the City,” McCree said. “Our ship’s nearby, it’s over--”

He froze.

Star looked around and tucked herself into his cape. Zenyatta and Seiryu retreated closer to Genji and Hanzo, as well.

McCree pulled out his gun. “Fallen,” he hissed. “Keep quiet.”

Hanzo tensed. His hands itched for a weapon.

McCree glanced at Star, whose pointed edges spiralled around as she scanned the environment. “They’re to our left,” she said, robotic voice hushed. “We should be okay if we’re really quiet.”

McCree nodded. “Stay close, stay low. We’ll get you on the ship and get you some guns ASAP,” he hissed to them.

“You’ll be okay,” Seiryu assured Hanzo from his place hovering beside his elbow.

Slowly, the two brothers followed McCree. Hanzo kept a careful eye on the surroundings. They seemed to be in some sort of ancient town, long since abandoned, but clearly once vibrant and lively. Trees with dark bark and soft pink blossoms grew wild, and the ground was covered in petals in some places. A lot of the road that was once there was eroded and broken away by what must’ve been decades, even centuries of decay.

It was a wonder that the Ghosts had found Genji and himself.

Something skittered in a building nearby. McCree aimed, finger hovering on the trigger. His jaw shifted and his dark eyes flitted about, sharp as an eagle for any movement. After a few seconds, he lowered his gun and gestured for them to continue.

They kept slow through the streets. The Ghosts kept close, tucked in folds of clothes, peeking out to scan for Fallen. McCree held out his hand every now and again to give Star a place to hover and focus on the scan before letting her duck back under his cloak.

“We parked the ship just around the block,” McCree said in a low voice. “We’ll be home free when we get there.”

Hanzo and Genji both nodded in understanding. Hanzo kept his hand near Seiryu protectively. There was a gentle warmth from the Ghost, like he was alive. Hanzo supposed he was.

With no warning, an inhuman war cry echoed through the empty streets.

McCree whirled with his gun raised. “Sh-- dammit! They found us!”

“We should run,” Star suggested.

Three bursts of pale blue came spiraling out from an open doorway, and four glowing blue eyes glittered in the darkness. The blasts from the Dreg’s rifle missed, but left harsh burned marks on the tree behind them.

“We should definitely run,” Seiryu agreed.

McCree took a step back. “Down the block, to the left, can’t miss it. Go! I’ll hold ‘em off til y’all are there!”

“But--” Hanzo started.

“We’re unarmed, Guardian,” Seiryu said. “We would be a distraction. We need to hurry!”

“I’ll be fine. This ain’t my first rodeo.” McCree’s gun cracked loudly, and one of the Fallen shrieked as its body toppled from a balcony to the broken concrete below. “I’ll be right with you! Your Ghosts know what to do!” There was another crack of the hand cannon.

More eyes began to appear in the shadows, faint blue-hued silhouettes of camouflaged Fallen creeping from the woodwork with rifles and blades at the ready, growling and garbling to each other in the Eliksni tongue. Hanzo took a step backwards, toward the ship.

“Genji,” Zenyatta said urgently. He appeared in a shimmer and shoved gently at Genji. “We must go.”

Genji cursed. “Be careful, McCree.”

“I got it under control,” McCree said, snapping his focus to a Vandal crawling down a wall.

Reluctant, but with no other options, unarmed as they were, the two of them turned and darted down the road with their Ghosts safely hidden away. McCree’s gun echoed loudly among the derelict buildings, just discernible over the howls and snarls of the Fallen and their shrill guns.

“Left!” Seiryu said. Hanzo moved on instinct, dodging a blade that slashed harrowingly close to his face. He looked up with wide eyes at the Vandal snarling at him before its head exploded and ether came hissing out in a shimmering puff of smoke.

Hanzo leapt over the corpse and spared a glance for McCree, who was slowly backing up as he reloaded. Genji nudged Hanzo to urge him on.

Around the corner, the street opened into what must once have been a plaza. Parked in the center of it was a large ship, the same rusty red as McCree’s cloak. There were no signs of Fallen around, not immediately, at least.

“How do we get in?” Genji asked.

Zenyatta flew up closer to the ship. “Without Star and her Guardian there is little we can do unless I or Seiryu hack into the ship. We will have to wait for them to come back to let us in.”

Hanzo sighed. “Of course. We have been alive all of twenty minutes, and already luck is not on our side.”

Genji scoffed. “I have the feeling that luck was not on our side before, either.”

Hanzo crossed his arms, avoiding looking at the man he knew was his brother, a man he couldn’t remember any more than he could remember himself. “I concur.”

Genji’s hand brushed against his chest, seemingly without paying attention to it. Hanzo felt an aching pain deep in his own gut, but no reason, no memory for it, which was perhaps more of a terrible feeling.

“Don’t worry,” Seiryu said, nudging Hanzo gently. “We will get back to the City, and things will start to look up.”

Hanzo didn’t have a response to that, but held out his hand for Seiryu to hover over. Having the Ghost looking up at him with that bright eye brought a little wave of calm over his turbulent thoughts. This little robot was certainly tied to him in some deep, inexplicable way. Hanzo was not sure yet how he felt.

After all, he had said it himself; he had only been alive for about twenty minutes.

Suddenly the loud bang of McCree’s gun grew louder. Seiryu vanished in a sprinkle of light, though Hanzo could still feel him, in a metaphysical sort of way.

McCree came sprint around the corner. He turned and fired off three shots before looking back at them. “Star, get ‘em on board!”

“Roger that, Guardian,” came her affirmative, and the little Ghost zoomed toward the ship. She dissipated much like Seiryu just had as she neared the ship.

“Prepare for transmat,” said her voice, though it came from Seiryu, pushing her comm relay. “I can only take you one at a time. Hold tight. Genji, you’re first.”

Genji saluted to Hanzo before he, too, was warped away in a twinkle of light.

“Welcome aboard. One moment. Hanzo, you’re next.”

He felt a tingling static around him and glanced up to McCree, fighting back the encroaching Fallen.

Just as he felt his own body dissolve and begin to reform as he was transmatted into the ship, he saw a burst of metal from a Captain’s shrapnel launcher, and the Hunter crumbled to the ground in a bloody heap.

The instant Hanzo reformed inside the ship, he bolted for the front of the ship.

“Hanzo?” Genji asked, sprinting after him.

“Star--” Hanzo started.

“I know!” she exclaimed, turning to look at him. “It’s fine! We need to go, now!”

“Fine?! He-- he just--”

“One of you take over for a moment. Just get us off the ground,” Star said. “Start heading for the City.”

Zenyatta and Seiryu shared a look before Seiryu flew forward to take over starting up the ship.

Star split apart into several pieces, into that same glowing blue orb with all the parts that Zenyatta had formed before reviving Genji. After a few seconds, a small burst of holographic flame sprouted around her. The flame spiraled down in a small double helix before a body took shape from head down, made of pale light that quickly colored into a familiar figure. He landed on his feet and gasped sharply.

Star reformed as the ship shuddered for liftoff.

McCree cursed and reached up to his chest. “Damn Captains,” he complained.

“You--” Hanzo said. “I saw you die.”

“Oh, you thought the resurrection was a one-time deal?” Star said.

“It is very, very difficult for Guardians to die,” Zenyatta explained.

“You just died, McCree?” Genji asked. “What happened?”

“Captain,” McCree said. “I should’ve been a bit less cocky. That was my own fault for being stupid. I underestimated the force of their shrapnel launchers. Hurts real bad, I do not recommend it, by the way.” He stepped forward to take the controls. Seiryu backed off, returning to Hanzo.

The Hunter fell heavily in the pilot seat and adjusted his hat. “Y’all might wanna hold on.”

“He likes to fly fast.”

McCree grinned as Hanzo and Genji uncertainly reached for handholds. “You never argue.”

The ship shuddered and jolted forward.

Hanzo was glad for the warning.

“Y’all know about the Last City already?” McCree asked, loudly over the engine.

“I can guess,” Genji answered. “But, no, I don’t think I have heard of it.”

Hanzo shook his head.

“Figured,” McCree replied. “Last bastion of hope for what’s left of humanity outside the Awoken in the Reef. If you count them.”

Genji and Hanzo shared a glance, their eyes glowing green and blue.

“Reckon you might’ve been part of ‘em, once. Loads of Awoken came back to Earth after… whatever the hell happened.” McCree flipped a few switches. “Buncha Guardians are Awoken, but they won’t consider y’all Awoken, really, ‘cause Guardians live for the Traveler, in the Light. Their home is in shadow. Not Darkness, though. The Last City’s on… relatively good terms with ‘em, but they’re so far out there that there ain’t much contact.”

“The City is home to most of the people left on Earth,” Star went on. “We’ll be going to the Tower, where Guardians live. When they’re not all out and about saving the world and protecting the City from the forces of Darkness, anyway. We’ll take you to the Speaker, first, and then the Vanguard.”

“And get y’all some guns! The Vanguard’ll help see you through the beginning, and then it’ll just be second nature before you know it.”

“What would we… do?” Genji asked.

“Fight,” Zenyatta said. “Defend the Traveler, and protect the Light. The agents of Darkness are everywhere, and the Traveler and all of mankind must be kept safe.”

“Why us? Why would the Traveller chose us?” Hanzo asked.

McCree shrugged. “She works in mysterious ways. Ain’t got the slightest inkling of who I was before Star brought me back. Only context clues, like you guys. Way out in the desert, in a long-abandoned warehouse full of mostly broken guns from the Golden Age. That’s the miracle of the thing, ain’t it? We could’ve been heroes, or we could’ve been murderers, or we could’ve been nobodies. But it doesn’t matter now. We’re reborn. And every death is a new start. Like I said, not a lot of people get the chance to take their first breath again. It hurts like nothin’ else. Might be the only thing more painful than dying, honestly, that feeling of air in your lungs. Even Exos have told me their rebirth is always intense. But it reminds us that we’re still people. We still die.”

McCree reached up one hand to let his Ghost hover over it. “We might come back, but it’s not a blessing. The Light is a gift, for sure, but it ain’t a free pass. She saw somethin’ in our souls, and maybe we were all awful. Who knows? This could be atonement. Don’t really matter, in my opinion. We’re Guardians now.”

Hanzo felt the hilt of the sword in his hand again. The guilt burned deep in him when he looked at his brother.

He didn’t know for sure--but McCree glanced at him, and he felt sick. McCree had seen their bones, and he could see it in his eyes.

There was only one conclusion to be drawn from their deaths.

Seiryu hovered over Hanzo’s shoulder. Hanzo felt the Ghost nudge him gently, and turned to look at him. Seiryu had no mouth, but Hanzo could feel a gentle, reassuring smile nonetheless.

“You’ll be a wonderful Guardian. I’m sure of it,” Seiryu said softly.

Hanzo could only hope. He stared out the front of the ship with his Ghost over his shoulder as the Traveler came into view, and the Last City that stretched for miles beneath its Light, and he felt a little shiver as he gazed at the celestial being that had breathed life back into him after centuries of being nothing but dust.

If the Traveler thought he could be a protector--no, not a protector. A Guardian. If it thought he could be a Guardian… he wasn’t sure what it meant, exactly. It was a terrifying thought.

As he looked on the Traveler as the ship flew ever closer, it gave him no answers. He would have to make sense of his new life on his own.


	2. Vermilion Stripes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hunters don't talk about it. Titans don't, either. But sometimes, it helps.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fareeha and Lena! Plot! Character building!  
> i've never played a Titan whoops lmao

It was a cold night, just a few days before the Dawning celebrations would start. Fareeha stood in a fairly secluded corner of the Tower, staring down, out over the City. Her breath was just barely visible in the air. Despite the chill, her insulated armor kept her comfortable.

Her shimmering yellow eyes moved up from the buildings, the lights, to the Traveller.

“Hey,” she said softly. “I know you can’t hear me… you haven’t heard anyone in centuries.”

It remained silent.

“But if you can… if there’s any way you know what I’m saying…” She sighed and shifted her weight. “I just… I want you to know I don’t blame you. I don’t think it’s your fault. It hurts. It hurts more than anything I’ve ever felt before, and, well,” she laughed, “I’ve died dozens of times. But I guess sometimes things just… go wrong. We just need to hold on. You’ll wake up, someday. Right?”

The Traveller did nothing. It floated, quiet, above the City, sleeping, as it had for centuries.

Fareeha nodded to herself and leaned on the railing.

Minutes passed. She considered going to bed, but could not seem to quiet her thoughts. Okoro was dormant, giving her peace as he rested in whatever Light-space he vanished to.

There was a sudden creak, then a metallic thump as something fell onto the catwalk. Fareeha reached for her weapon.

“Hey, issat you, Pharah?” asked an unusually quiet voice.

Fareeha sighed in relief. “Hello, Tracer.”

Lena ambled around a corner. Zipper, her Ghost, floated behind her, his eye blue, for now. His strange, Harpy-like shell always made Fareeha feel uneasy, but she swallowed it down; there was not a fragment of anything that wasn’t sweet, bright and kind about Lena or Zipper, despite their suffering at the metaphorical and literal hands of the Vex.

“Whatcha up to, love?”

Fareeha leaned forward against the railing, on her forearms. Her gauntlets protected her arms from the icy railing. “Thinking,” she replied. “What are you doing up?”

Lena hopped up onto the railing and sat down on it with her legs dangling over the edge. “Sorta the same, I s’pose. Hunters usually don’t sleep well. Did you know that?”

Fareeha nodded. “I guess you’ve got plenty of reasons not to sleep. Nightmares?”

She shrugged.

They sat quiet for a little while. At some point, Zipper vanished in a glimmer of Light to rest, leaving the two Guardians alone.

“It’s a really nice night,” Lena said finally.

“Cold, though.”

“Yeah. I like the cold. Maybe I was from somewhere cold, y’know. Before.”

“Judging by your accent, I’d agree,” Fareeha teased.

Lena giggled. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Fareeha nudged her gently, grinning. “It means that you’re a pretty cool girl.”

Lena threw back her head with an exaggerated groan. “That’s terrible!”

“I try,” Fareeha replied. “I think I’ve been hanging out around Mei too much lately. She needs to chill out with the ice puns.”

“Fareeha!” Lena laughed, clinging to the railing and kicking out a leg as she laughed.

The two dissolved into giggles before it faded out into quiet for a few seconds.

“Hey, Lena.”

“Hmm?”

Fareeha stared up at the sky. “Do you think it can hear us?”

Lena followed her gaze. “I don’t know. Maybe. I’d like to think so. I know the Speaker said it doesn’t, but… who knows? There’s lots of things out there we don’t know.”

“What do you think it’ll do if it wakes up and sees what’s been happening?”

“Help us, I think. I’m not sure if it… if it can really do anything about the Hive, though, if that’s what you’re worried about?”

“Yeah.” Fareeha frowned. “And the Taken… could it have seen that coming?”

“It’s seen a lot, apparently. Maybe when it wakes up, it can tell us.”

“Maybe.”

“Fareeha… not to change the subject, but… when I was coming over, I saw your Mark.”

Fareeha looked over. Lena was looking down at her hands in her lap, her fingers fidgeting and tangling. She was softly illuminated by the Chronal Accelerator on her chest, that tiny Vex gate-like construct that locked her in the present. Her cloak draped behind her, rippling lazily in the chilly winter wind.

“Hunters don’t really talk about it, you know. Did someone tell you, or…”

“Mum. My mother did.” Fareeha lowered her gaze. “I asked about her stripe. She told me what it was… but she never said who it was for. I think it was for my father, but… I don’t know.”

Lena nodded. “I’m glad she told you, then. I… I mean, I wasn’t really super close to Captain Amari, but I really looked up to her. I still do. She was legendary. She’s everything a Hunter wants to be. I think… even if you aren’t a Hunter, you have every right to the vermillion stripe.”

“Ana.”

“Huh?”

“You can call her Ana. All her friends did, and I think she’d want you to, as well. She saw a lot of promise in you when you were found and started training as a Hunter.”

She felt Lena’s eyes on her. “Fareeha… love, I’m so sorry.”

Fareeha nodded, looking down. “It’s… I can’t say it’s okay. But I’m… I’ll be okay. Mum did a lot of good. She was a hero.”

“A Guardian?”

Fareeha managed something like a laugh. “Yeah. She was, in every sense of the word.”

Lena was quiet a few seconds before saying, “You miss her.”

“A lot.” Fareeha met her gaze. “How many Guardians can say what I can about her? Or anyone? I’ve never heard of a Guardian having children who were also a Guardian. A Ghost choosing a living person… I’ve only heard of it happening once before me, and he knew the Ghost he inherited. Okoro is very special to me, but… he chose me when I was just twelve. It was so hard on Mum, and… she knew when Okoro appeared that I would die. We all do. Over and over again. I think… I think she was upset with the Traveller for a while. She did not want this fate for me.”

“Everything happens for a reason,” Lena said gently. “And I think your mum knew that. It doesn’t make it easier, but… it’s something, I guess.”

“You’re right. It… I think she regained her faith, in the end. I hope she did, at least. She died to protect it. I just… I wish we’d found her. Or Liao. Knowing that her… knowing that she’s out there somewhere, lost to the Hive, in the moon…”

“It’s hard. All we can really do is carry on her legacy. At least she’ll be remembered.”

Fareeha felt a shiver down her spine unrelated to the cold as Lena tapped the device on her chest. Too many other Guardians were lost in time because of the Vex, and no one knew who or how many, and never would know; Lena was lucky she still existed.

“Your stripe is a sign of honor among Hunters, Fareeha. You are a connection between worlds--between the walls and the wilds. You’re going to be a legend, too. Not just because your mum was a Guardian, or because your Ghost chose you while you were alive. You’re gonna be wonderful because of you. You have so much strength and dignity and courage! What better of a legacy would Cap-- would Ana want? To have raised a woman, a Guardian, as incredible as you?”

Fareeha reached up to wipe at her eyes. The cold stung the tears that welled up. “Lena…”

“You can cry, if you need to, love. I won’t tell anyone. I know you Titans are supposed to be all sturdy and whatever, but you’re still human. Awoken, whatever. You can still cry. It’s good for you.”

She sniffled and managed a laugh. “Thank you, Tracer. You’re… you’re a very good friend, you know?”

Lena reached an arm over to give her a half-hug. Her nose was cold against her ear, but it was fine. “I’m here for you,” she replied simply.

Fareeha responded in kind, resting her arm on Lena’s hip and leaning into her small body as she looked over the City.

They stood like that for a time until finally Lena pressed a chilly, platonic kiss to the top of Fareeha’s head. “We should probably go before we freeze to death out here, love.”

“You’ve got a pretty girl waiting for you, anyway, hmm?”

Lena flushed. “She knows I need to skip out every now and again. Hunter energy.”

“Mm-hmm. Come on, Lena.”

Slowly, they made their way back to the central tower area. It wasn’t bright, but lit up with softly illuminated lamps. A few other Guardians wandered about, mostly Hunters plagued by their insomnia, or Exos and Awoken trying to walk off their strange nightmares. There was a little chatter, but most were just trying to clear their heads in the cold night air.

“Hey--Lena.”

Lena looked up at Fareeha expectantly.

“I’ve got a mission coming up soon. Fallen, to keep a check on the House of Devils. Jesse’s had his hands full training Hanzo and Genji, so I’m looking for a Hunter to join me and Satya on our fireteam. If you haven’t got anything else…”

Lena brightened. “I’d love to, absolutely! I’ll have to clear it with the Vanguard, though…”

Fareeha waved a hand. “I’ll take care of it. I’ll have Okoro send Zipper the details later. You go home, get some rest, spend some time with Emily.”

“Aye aye!” Lena gave a little salute with a bright grin. She softened. “Thanks, Fareeha. You should get some sleep too, if you can. I’ll see you soon?”

Fareeha nodded. “Good night, Lena.”

Lena smiled and headed off.

Fareeha watched her go before looking back up at the Traveller.

She stared at it for a few long moments before letting her breath come out in a puff of steam into the cold winter air.

Fareeha’s hand drifted over her Mark, the torn black fabric with its faded red stripe, so different from her pristine blue armor, before she turned and headed home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (let me know if lore is needed to be explained in the comments and I'll edit these notes to clarify anything!!)  
> Come stop by my tumblr @softbutchcowboy


	3. Forgotten Wishes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Crucible is a fierce arena with no mercy for the combatants. Genji wants in. Hanzo, however, is haunted by more ghosts than the one who resurrected him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lore lore lore!

Hardly a week went by before Hanzo and Genji were introduced to the Crucible.

A mighty battle of Guardians in arenas across the system, a televised gladiatorial event pitting immortal legends against each other to grow stronger. Their most fearsome opponents were themselves.

It was, of course, impossible not to know of the Crucible. From the moment they stepped into the City they saw the posters promoting upcoming matches, the merchandise of various champions, bets made between friends or on a more official gambling scale. Lord Shaxx’s recorded voice boomed over intercoms praising winning fighters and hyping crowds for the battles.

“Did it a couple times,” McCree said as they wandered through the City, past a vendor hollering to an eager crowd, selling all sorts of things decorated with the personal colors of a particular Titan. “You go in, either on your own or with your own fireteam. It’s a six-v-six. Couple different types of fights. Could be a deathmatch-- kill them more than they kill you. Could be a capture-and-hold, that’s Control. I guess that guy’s a master of it.” He nodded toward the vendor. “Some Guardians are more into it. They do it more than the real fight. It’s fun, for sure. Good training.”

“You kill each other? For fun?” Genji asked.

“Genji, partner, we’re immortal. No one dies forever.” McCree grinned. “Builds character.”

“You do not involve yourself often, in this game?” Hanzo said.

McCree shrugged. “I’d rather be out gettin’ my hands dirty and keepin’ folks safe. It’s nice for a break, a little challenge, sometimes winning a couple bets. The gambling’s real good. If I’m honest, I’m more inclined to bet than fight.” He laughed, as though remembering something. “Remind me to tell you how I bet on my sister and she won me so much Glimmer I didn’t know what to do with it all!”

The two brothers started. “Your sister?” Genji sounded as surprised as Hanzo felt.

“Not sister in the same way y’all are related. Not by blood. She’s Awoken. Fareeha Amari, probably my best friend. She’s a Titan with… a real strange past. Not my place to share. I’ll just say she had a unique relationship with my mentor, Ana. Best sniper I ever knew. Now, she was a beast in the Crucible. The second they opened ammo for her sniper it was over. She never missed a shot.” 

Something melancholy touched his voice.

“What happened to her?” Hanzo asked.

McCree shook his head. “Hive,” he answered. “It’s… hard to… talk about. But,” he forced a smile, “that’s somethin’ else. There’s a Crucible match starting soon. Y’all can’t participate yet, not officially, since you’re still too inexperienced and you’d get your asses handed to you. But you should watch. Got a friend in there today. Bettin’ on her to win.”

“Not Fareeha?” Hanzo said. 

“Nah, another Hunter. Like us. Bladedancer, real good. I swear she Blinks so fast she’s invisible. She ain’t often in the Crucible, but wanted a little practice before she heads off with Fareeha and a Warlock to check up on some of the Devils in the Cosmodrome.”

“It sounds like fun,” Genji said. “When would we be able to compete?”

“We?” Hanzo scoffed. Genji rolled his eyes at him.

“When you’re good enough not to get slaughtered,” McCree said with a dry laugh. “You’re a few days old. Most of us have seen centuries go by. Most of the Titans who fight in the Crucible built these walls. Those Warlocks have recorded the rise and fall of our greatest enemies. Those Hunters have ventured so far into the wilds they’ve fought creatures that no longer exist. You’ll get there, but not anytime soon. Give it time. You’ve got plenty.”

Hanzo knew Genji was not so patient. There was an eager fire in his bright green eyes. 

“They’re fun to watch, anyway,” McCree said cheerfully. “You learn all kinds of cool ways to work with a fireteam. Lotta the stuff you learn in there helps out against the real enemy.”

And thus, the brothers accompanied McCree to watch the match.

He took them to a bar, unsurprisingly. It was within the City; most patrons were non-Guardian, but a few other Ghosts hovered around hoods and helms. Screens set up within the bar were showcasing the Guardians in the upcoming Crucible game; their class, their skills, their statistics within the Crucible and accomplishments outside. Of the twelve combatants, most seemed well-known as Crucible champions; a few had little to be said about their prowess against other Guardians, but praise aplenty for their might outside the walls.

A tiny Hunter girl with a cheery smile, freckles, and a nightmarish Vex construct on her chest brought a hush over the crowd, and glasses tapped against the tables at the image of a miniature Harpy that floated beside her with a Ghost’s eye at its center.

“Lena Oxton, callsign: Tracer,” announced Lord Shaxx’s voice. “A Bladedancer of unrivaled speed and agility. She has not competed in the Crucible in a very long time-- welcome back, Tracer! Known for zipping in for a killing blow and blinking out before a single shot can hit her, she was once a champion. Let’s hope her years slaughtering Vex have kept her reflexes as sharp as her blades!”

“That’s her,” McCree said with pride, raising his glass to the screen. 

“It’s a wonder they even let her in,” murmured a nearby Titan. “With all her… Vex tech… wouldn’t it give her an advantage? Not fair, if you ask me.”

McCree turned a glare on the Titan as another Guardian took Tracer’s place on the screens. “Well, no one asked you,” he snapped.

“Oh, boy,” McCree’s Ghost muttered. “Here we go.”

“You think that thing’s an advantage? That girl was tortured by the Vex. Every minute for us is a year in their constructs. She was gone for a decade. She ain’t even in this timeline without that thing on her chest keepin’ her locked in. They put radiolarian fluid in her Ghost.”

The Ghosts present drew closer to their Guardians in fear at the thought.

“That poor Ghost lives in pain every day. His very shell was corrupt by the Vex but he still carries the Light for his Guardian. She’s one of the bravest Hunters I’ve ever known. Telling her to sit out of the Crucible--out of the most important training for us--would be a damn crime.”

With that, McCree knocked back his drink.

Eyes turned to the Titan. His Ghost looked at him, too, and then let out a laugh. “You rendered him speechless. Thanks, Hunter. Takes a lot to do that.”

Snickers broke out as the Titan tried unsuccessfully to hide in his drink.

“I’ll put Glimmer on her,” said a merchant from the crowd. 

“Yeah, me too,” broke out another voice. 

“Did you see the Warlock on the other team, though? He’s been on a win streak for weeks!”

The patrons of the bar began to wager, and McCree settled back in his stool. He waved to the bartender for another drink.

“Is this how the Crucible has always been?” Hanzo asked with uncertainty. 

“No, no, this was fairly recent. It was originally supposed to just be training, something private. And there are still private training matches with their own rules, of course. But the games… well, they’re that. They’re games. They’re fun. They give people something to be excited about.” McCree nodded his thanks to the bartender as a freshly filled glass was set before him. “Something to help them forget the hell we’re going through outside the walls.”

“It seems like a lot of fun,” Genji said with a wicked grin. 

He would think that, Hanzo thought. 

“You’ll get your chance, hotshot,” McCree chuckled.

“Patience, Genji,” agreed Zenyatta. “All in due time. You must learn first.”

“Alright, alright,” Genji said, but he was smiling.

Lord Shaxx’s voice boomed out again from the speakers. “Welcome to the Rusted Lands!” he announced, as the image panned over a scene on Earth, showing burned-out old buildings and the twelve Guardians split in two groups at either end. One from each team held a flag, and their Ghosts illuminated them in a matching color. Blue for Alpha, Orange for Bravo. 

“Looks like Clash,” McCree said. “No holds barred deathmatch. Whoever gets the most kills in the time limit wins, or whoever reaches the max kills, whichever’s first. A good sign for Lena, that’s for sure.”

Genji was enraptured.

The game began with little fanfare or prelude. The Guardians dropped their dramatic poses for the cameras and broke into sprints for the center of the arena with their weapons at the ready. 

The various screens in the bar showed different perspectives, filmed by the roving cameras around the arena and the Ghosts of the competitors. Hanzo couldn’t help but feel excitement when the bullets began to fly.

“See, there, at the bottom, that’s the current score. Kills with different abilities give different points. Whoa, nice kill, that Warlock’s a monster with that SMG!” McCree was saying. 

Guardians ducked and dodged, balancing ferocity with caution. A Guardian would fall with a cry, and Hanzo shuddered, knowing they were dead. He had not felt the cold embrace of it yet, but knew it was coming at some point. 

Their Ghosts would zoom up and away to a safe location and revive their Guardian. With no hesitation, the Guardian would run right back into the battle. 

And then, they were Supercharged.

The crowd went wild, and shouts were audible from even outside the bar, as Shaxx exclaimed, “And Jay takes out half of Team Bravo with Golden Gun! Incredible shots!”

The Hunter did not gloat; they moved instead to the ammo drop nearby to reload their sniper as though they hadn’t just obliterated the enemy team. A Titan beside them signed something with a free hand, making McCree sit up straighter. “Hunter language. Remind me to teach y’all later. They must be on a fireteam if that Hunter taught him that.”

“What did he say?” Genji asked. His fingers twitched as he attempted to mimic the sign.

“‘Nice shot, watch the Warlock.’ Probably the one with the SMG. Zavrik, I think is what Shaxx called him? Oh, Lena’s got her Super, watch, she’s unbeatable with those blades of hers!”

The screen switched to the perspective of the tiny Hunter. She seemed to dart between bullets, she was so fast. With a fluid motion she stabbed the Warlock that had been causing her team so much trouble, causing him to choke out and his Ghost to rush away. She spotted the rest of Team Bravo, fresh off respawn from Jay’s Golden Gun.

The camera moved overhead as Tracer sprinted for them. They saw her too late as she explode with electricity and two crackling knives appeared in her hands. She was too fast to even see, a blur of arc as she Blinked between the Guardians and slashed them apart. She caught another unfortunate Bravo competitor who had attempted to regroup, as well. 

The patrons of the bar went mad as Alpha’s score skyrocketed. 

McCree gave a smug grin to the Titan in the bar, who was ignoring his excited Ghost’s rallying cheers. 

“That’s incredible!” Genji said. “That’s what Bladedancers do?”

“Yep,” McCree said. “Cool, right? Never really got the hang of it myself, though. I like keepin’ a little more distance. Solar just feels more right, anyway.”

“Perhaps you could introduce them,” Hanzo suggested. 

Genji turned eager eyes to the Gunslinger.

McCree shrugged. “Sure. I’ll ping her later. Lena likes meetin’ new folks, but she’ll talk your ears off.”

“They would make good friends, then,” Hanzo joked. 

Tracer’s swift quadruple kill kept Alpha in the lead until the clock ran out. Weary, battered, and down more live rounds than Commander Zavala would ever be pleased about, the match finished, and Alpha was victorious. 

“Now they’re just gonna ramble on analyzing everyone’s strategies and whatever,” McCree said as the camera panned out over the arena once more. “The strategy is shoot for the biggest threat. Little known secret.”

Hanzo snorted. “A viable one, indeed.”

“I want to do that,” Genji said. “Don’t-- do not start with it again, I know, not yet. But when I am skilled enough.”

“I’m with you, partner,” McCree said. “Hey, y’all wanna go meet Lord Shaxx? He’ll be wrapping up soon, and we can go see him at the Tower.”

“Absolutely!” Genji agreed.

“Hold your horses,” McCree laughed. “Finish your drink first! We got plenty of time.”

McCree covered the tab, thanking a Fallen mining skiff he’d broken up a few weeks before that netted him more than a little extra Glimmer, before the three Hunters parted from the establishment. The City was still abuzz after the competitive Crucible match, with the first reds of sunset starting to shine over the walls and casting a warm glow on the Traveler above.

Various citizens waved happily to the Guardians as they wandered back to the Tower. McCree handled the attention with the ease of someone who had been given it for decades. Genji handled it with the ease of someone who had been given it for ten days and preened under their awed gazes. Hanzo didn’t understand why the people were still so in amazement of the Guardians if they’d lived around them their entire lives.

Then again, he supposed. If he were not among their ranks, and he lived as a mortal man among near-gods, he would feel awe at seeing them joking and laughing among the common people in the streets.

By the time they reached the Tower, the sky was streaked through with red and gold, and the first stars were blinking in indigo. Other Guardians strode about, and the looks of amazement were no more. Hanzo kept silent, regardless.

“...passed by him before, actually,” McCree was saying when Hanzo returned from his thoughts. They were heading down to where the Vanguard collected.

“I don’t think he was here when we came here the first time,” Genji said. “I do remember you pointing out where he usually is when he isn’t managing Crucible announcing.”

A small crowd of Guardians was milling about. It seemed that they were also looking for Lord Shaxx; Hanzo heard a few of them discussing signing up for upcoming televised matches. 

Then, Hanzo saw the Titan himself, talking with a Hunter. Shaxx’s voice was still loud, but with less of the announcer in his tone now. 

“All those skulls, they’re things he’s killed,” McCree said, nodding at the wall of trophies. “Heard a rumor that one on his desk is an Ahamkara, but I don’t buy it. Too small.”

“What is that?” Genji asked.

“Dragons,” McCree replied.

Something jolted in Hanzo’s chest. “The wish dragons,” he said.

He felt Seiryu look at him with the same confusion as his companions. “Yes… they were known to grant wishes, but were hunted to extinction ages ago by the Guardians because their wishes came with a terrible price. How did you know that?”

“I…” Hanzo furrowed his brow and tugged his hood closer over his head. “I don’t know.”

“Maybe you found one in your past life,” Star suggested. “It’s happened before.”

Genji angled his head. “Wouldn’t I know, then, too?”

“You’re brothers, not the same person,” McCree argued. “Doubt you spent every second together.”

Hanzo leveled his gaze on the skull on the desk. He didn’t know if it was, or was not, one of the wish-dragons, but the very mention of their name resounded in his skull until his head hurt. 

He wished he could remember.

A shiver went through him at the thought. No further memory revealed itself to him, but he did not like the feeling that shadowed over him.

“...to Hanzo? Hello? You still with us, partner?” 

McCree’s voice startled him from his thoughts.

“Looked like you were gonna glare a hole in that skull. Figured you’d wanna quit spacin’ out before Shaxx noticed.”

Hanzo flushed with embarrassment. Genji snickered. 

Finally, they broke from the collected Guardians to stand face to face with the Titan. Hanzo was unsurprised but still annoyed to find Shaxx towering over him. 

“Ah, hello, Hunters!” greeted Shaxx. “McCree, was it? Hard to forget you and that hat!”

McCree grinned. “Been a while since I joined in the Crucible, sir, sorry about that. Been a bit busy with some new Guardians.”

Shaxx angled his head at the brothers curiously. “I think I heard about some new Hunters. Welcome! You’ve gotten the introduction on the Crucible, I assume?”

“We just watched the last match,” Genji said. “It was incredible.”

“One of the best I’ve seen in days!” Shaxx agreed. “Tracer is a formidable Hunter. Would you believe that some other Guardians wanted to keep her out of the Crucible? Preposterous, I said!” He held a fist in front of him. “Any Guardian who can fight, should fight! Any Guardian willing to do what it takes to win, should train in the Crucible! No disability should stand in the way of determination!”

Genji had an awestruck look on his face. For once, he seemed rendered speechless.

“She did great,” McCree said. “It was a good game. They all did well.”

Shaxx nodded. “The result of training and teamwork. Enough, though. Did you want to sign up?”

“I’m thinkin’ about it,” McCree said. “Mostly wanted to introduce Hanzo and Genji to you. Genji’s real eager to jump in the Crucible, but they’re both only a few days old.”

Shaxx sized Genji up. Hanzo watched his brother straighten under the Titan’s presumably scrutinizing gaze. Zenyatta chuckled in amusement at his Guardian’s attempts at looking tough.

“As soon as you’re ready, Guardian, come find me,” Shaxx said. “I see potential in you already.”

McCree nudged Genji with a grin. 

“Thank you,” Genji said with delight in his voice.

Hanzo wanted to vanish into the shadows when Shaxx’s helmet turned toward him. “What of you? Not that there is anything wrong with not wanting to participate, of course, but the knowledge and skill you will gain in the Crucible can save your life.”

“Perhaps some time,” Hanzo said vaguely. “I… feel I should train on my own, before testing myself against more practiced fighters.”

And it had nothing to do with the fact that he couldn’t feel the burning solar rush of a Golden Gun, nor the spark of electricity McCree himself struggled with using. 

“That’s fair enough, then. Best of luck. When you’re ready, I’ll be here.”

Hanzo dipped his head in acknowledgement.

“I’ll come by later to sign up again,” McCree said. “See you.”

“Good luck, Guardians!” Shaxx boomed out as the three Hunters moved back into the crowd.

“He is very cool,” Genji said.

McCree laughed. “You looked a little starstruck.”

“Did I embarrass myself?” Genji asked with sudden alarm.

“You handled yourself with dignity,” Zenyatta assured him. “I do not think he is one to be impressed by words, however.”

“He isn’t,” McCree agreed. “Hanzo, you still with us?”

Hanzo gave a curt nod. “I am fine.”

“You sure? You’ve been a bit out of it since we got here.”

“I am… thinking.”

He felt his Ghost’s concern. “Do you want to talk about it?” Seiryu asked him.

“Perhaps,” he said quietly. “Later.”

Genji’s vivid green eyes burned into him skeptically. “Are you sure you are okay?”

“It’s nothing,” Hanzo insisted. “I… I am going to retire for the evening. Good night.”

With that he turned and strode for his quarters, Seiryu anxious over his shoulder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come drop by my tumblr @softbutchcowboy  
> Jay and Avery (the Hunter and the Titan) are my friend Nick's Destiny characters. Go see his blog @nemesis-star for more on them! Their stories are super cool and Nick's a great writer! Zavrik is my Stormcaller Warlock.  
> Next chapter will have a lot more action >:3


	4. Hurricane

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Satya's fireteam leader has been captured by the Fallen, and she will call the storm upon all who stand in her way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i havent touched stormcaller in 84 years

A hurricane lived inside her.

Satya did not need to breathe, but took a deep breath anyway. 

She must find the eye of the storm that raged in her wires.

She remembered the fire that burned in Angela Ziegler’s blood, a violent juxtaposition to her merciful callsign as her vengeful blade scorched through waves of Hive, her anger and sorrow screaming from her lungs as they carried off slaughtered civilians.

She remembered the extreme control of Gabriel Reyes, letting his thoughts and emotions build and fester and pulse, revealing no true feeling escape, only showing sarcasm and wit, until it exploded from him in a ground-shaking blast of hungry Void that swallowed whole an entire troop of Cabal. It left nothing in its wake but dust and not a tremble to Gabriel’s fingers.

But for Satya… for Satya, the storm called her. She could not conjure it from within, nor keep it held down.

She was a channel. The Light moved through her, used her, let her shape it into a form she in turn cast at the Darkness. 

She was not a slave to the Light, but neither did she mindlessly fling it about.

She needed it now. The peace in the middle of turmoil. Serenity in fear. 

Satya looked down at her rifle. With careful fingers she switched its core, and its orange lights flickered to bright blue. 

She heard the chittering and snarling of the Fallen searching for her. She could only hope that Fareeha and Lena had found safety. She didn’t dare risk opening a radio channel to them yet. 

If they had been captured… she could not be stopped until she found them.

The energy built in her chest. Her systems protested silently within her. She pressed it down. Not yet, not yet. The eye of the hurricane.

She would have to build the rage and the thunder and the winds within her first. Let them spiral and rise, rise, into her throat, create a wall around her, an impenetrable barrier of lightning and fury protecting a pocket of tranquility.

And then she would let the storm destroy all who would stand in her way. 

“Satya,” whispered her Ghost. “I am translating some of their chatter.”

Satya shifted her grip on Hard Light. 

“They have Pharah,” came the horrified translation from Lotus. “They don’t know where Tracer is, but--they’ve separated Pharah from Okoro. They want to bring them both to the Kell.”

The storm howled.

“We will just have to rescue her,” Satya said smoothly. 

With a movement as fluid and forceful as a river, Satya stepped around the wall and opened fire. Streaks of hard arc energy came flying from Hard Light, tearing through the blue-hued shields of the Fallen and earning shrieks and howls. Pulses of their own fire came spiraling at her, but she swiftly stepped to the side. Her own shields batted off the ones that didn’t miss. 

Electricity sparked in her palm, and she threw out her hand to toss an arcbolt grenade into a troop of Vandals. The grenade sparked, and then shot out lines of energy that eviscerated the entire group. Ether hissed out into the air, reeking of metal and rotting meat.

She switched her gun to her left hand for a moment to fling her right, fingers splayed out and palm foward, into a couple of Dregs that pounced forward. More arc energy zapped from her fingers, numbing her arm, lacing through the arachnid creatures and melting them from the inside. Energy coursed through her, building the storm, pulling it up through her stomach, into her chest.

Not yet. 

Satya rushed forward as her shields recharged. Her boots splashed lightly into puddles dripping from the cave ceiling. She followed the tunnels. The Fallen liked these cold, damp, secluded places, building their arsenals underground, stealing whatever they found and adapting it. Lurking in wait for the moment to strike.

They would not have that moment. 

Her eyes flicked up to the radar on her HUD. In front of her, something was moving. She slowed her approach to ready Hard Light once more. 

“I’m detecting a lot of Fallen up ahead,” Lotus warned. “And… a Ghost. And a Guardian. They’re together. It must be Tracer. The Fallen are on alert.”

“It’s quiet,” Satya remarked. “She is hiding, then.”

“Be cautious.”

Satya gave a small nod. She crept forward to the edge of the tunnel, where pale lights were attached to the walls and stuck up on poles from piles of crates and stolen equipment. The tunnel opened into a large cavern full of heaps of things the Fallen had claimed. The Fallen themselves had their guns and their glittering knives at the ready, all four arms waiting to destroy anything not of their kin that threatened them in their own dark den. They growled to each other, the two-armed Dregs chittering servitude to the resonant bass of the hulking Captains, four of them, their arc-shields glimmering blue around them and casting their Devil-red cloaks in an almost violet hue. 

Satya was a hurricane. There was harmony between the peace and the rage. To bring forth the storm, she required both.

She took a breath her mechanical body did not need, and sprinted forward.

The Fallen rallied a war cry and a hail of energized shots came from all angles.

For just a fraction of a second, Satya saw a tiny Harpy peek out from behind a cache. Satya’s helmet revealed no emotion.

She had none to show, anyway.

She was pure, calm. She was the eye of the storm. 

She called the Light into her systems, flooding her wires with electricity that threatened to scorch her alive and fry her organs. Ozone filled the air. 

She breathed in. Hold it. Hold it. 

With her next exhale, came the lightning.

It raged through her body, surging from her fingers. Her hands shook as the sheer force lifted her from the ground and she hovered on crackling energy. Jagged, blinding light jumped out of her.

The strange smell of Ether clashed with the smell of her Light as Satya channeled the storm. It arced between the bodies of the arachnid aliens, making their bodies seize and char from the inside. A death with no pain, she knew; she had been on the receiving end of the very storm in her own training. A frightening death all the same. 

She felt nothing as the wind thrashed around her, as the lightning lept from her fingers and tore through her enemies. She felt nothing but the eye. The calm. Her fingers were numb.

She forced the rage to build further. It creaked in her metal plating, aching in her deepest joints. 

With a final surge of Light, Satya fell heavily back to her feet, and the last Captain crumbled into ash.

The eye passed over her, and she swayed as the storm battered her for just a moment before fading into calm.

Two dozen Fallen had vanished from the universe in the span of twelve seconds.

Hard Light was cold and angular to Satya’s tingling hands as she summoned her rifle once more. She hated the feeling, so she deftly set it at her back until the shock of stimulus eased from her jumpy systems. 

“Satya, love?” came a small voice.

She turned to see Tracer watching her. She had taken off her helmet for a moment, and Satya saw awe on her freckled face. “That was incredible. I’ve never seen Stormtrance so powerful!”

“It takes a lot of training and discipline,” Satya replied. She frowned. “It was sloppy, though. I allowed more emotion than I should have.”

“Your hands are shaking.”

Satya looked at her gauntlets and her trembling fingers. She clenched her fists. “When we return from this mission, I need to speak with Ikora about further training.”

“I’ll remind you,” her Ghost said. 

Satya nodded gratefully.

“Even if you don’t think it was good, I sure did,” Tracer said. “You got every Fallen in here! I was too scared to use Arc Blade. Couldn’t quite call it up yet.”

Satya reached up to remove her helmet. She stared at Tracer for a moment before speaking. “We must go find Fareeha. The Fallen have her, and have separated her from her Ghost.”

Lena nodded, a furrow between her brow. “They took her deeper into the cave. I still feel her Light, though…”

“Likely they would not kill her. They would use her for ransom, or information. The Fallen are not mindless animals.”

“Seems like it sometimes,” she muttered. She put her helmet back on.

Satya followed suit and immediately checked her radar. No hostile movement detected. Still, she did not allow herself to relax. She was not sure she physically could, at the moment. 

Tracer pulled out her sidearm and reloaded it as the two began to walk slowly for the far tunnel entrance that would lead them closer to the heart of the Fallen’s den.

“It’s a long tunnel down,” Zipper warned.

“Ugh,” Tracer grumbled.

Both women holstered their weapons after a few seconds of walking. The tunnel was carved centuries ago, deep, deep into the earth; it was only lit every few feet by the Fallen’s rod-shaped lights. 

They would certainly be here a while.

They were silent for a short time before the curiosity overtook Satya. She glanced at Tracer. “I have… a question, if you do not mind my asking. Feel free not to answer, if I overstep my boundaries.”

“Sure thing, Sym. What d’you need?” Her voice was kind.

“Arc Blade… how is it… when you use it… what do you feel?”

Tracer hummed as she considered. “It’s… it makes things feel… very slow. Like time slowed down around me and I’m moving really fast. It’s really cold, too. I don’t know why. But it’s that cold that feels like you’re burning, in my fingers. And it’s so much. There’s so much energy, in my chet.” Her hand touched her chest, hovering over her Vex-constructed time lock. “I can’t stop moving or it hurts, almost. It’s all I can focus on when I call on it.”

“Was it always like that?”

“No. It used to move through me. Like… I dunno, not so consuming as it is now. I guess getting all the… the time stuff made it weird. It’s not really bad, though, just… different than it was at first. What’s it like for you, Satya?”

She flexed her hand. Her wires were still charged. “Have you been in a storm before? It is like I am in a hurricane, but I am the eye. I do nothing but allow the storm passage through my body. It hurts my hands and sometimes I feel as though it will overrun my systems and destroy me. It never does. I feel nothing but peace in my mind. There is only the lightning, only the Light, in that moment, and it does as it will.”

She could feel Lena’s eyes wide on her. “Whoa… that’s amazing. I guess Guardians connect different with the Light, then? Have you tried Void and Solar?”

“Yes. I learned both, but excelled at neither.” Satya exhaled, and felt a spark in the air. “They are too quiet and too loud, respectively. I could not manage the cold of Void, nor the rage of Solar, without the other. In the middle I found the storm.”

“I guess that’s kind of how I felt, too. There’s something about lightning that’s… I dunno how to word it. It’s just a lot. And it’s scary, but it’s thrilling. Cold and rage, like you said.” She smiled. “Thank you for telling me, Satya.”

Satya nodded. “Of course, Tracer.” She hesitated. “I… have been meaning to ask. Your callsign… why Tracer?”

She giggled. “It’s not as dramatic as you’d think. It’s ‘cause when I was a little baby Guardian, a few other Hunters who were training me dared me to ride a Shank. I did--I surfed on a bloody Tracer Shank until it exploded and killed me.”

Satya couldn’t help it-she laughed. A small, startled sound, not expecting the response. Her hand met her helmet, though there was no blue glow of her mouth visible behind it. 

Tracer’s grin was clear in her voice. “It just kinda stuck with me! I don’t mind it. It was actually really fun. Definitely not safe, but seeing the other Fallen just staring at me as I came careening toward them, firing wildly--”

“Screaming, don’t forget that,” Zipper added, his Harpy-like shell rotating as he snickered. 

“Yep, that too. Blew up a Captain, though!”

“It sounds like quite the adventure,” Satya said with mirth in her voice.

“What a way to earn a callsign,” Lotus agreed. 

“What about you? Where did Symmetra come from?”

“Symmetry,” she replied simply. “A play on the word. In all aspects of my life, I appreciate and encourage balance, harmony, and order.”

“I thought you were talking about the faction, for a sec,” Tracer said.

“In part, yes.” She kept her tone even. “Ulan-tan’s teachings were not as dangerous as the Vanguard seem to believe. The Darkness being a necessary equal to the Traveler’s Light does not make it not our enemy, nor does it mean that peace will come easily. It means we will need to fight to keep the balance of the universe in check. We will always need to fight to uphold order.”

“I guess I… never wanted to think about it like that,” Lena replied, sounding reluctant. Her hands fidgeted over her holstered sidearm. “I always wanted to be more… on the bright side, y’know? We’ve been fighting for so long… I want it to be over someday. We can live in peace. We won’t need to live in fear anymore.”

“You see the universe so… optimistically. That is not an insult.”

“But we both still fight for the Light,” Lena said. “And that’s what matters, i’nit?”

“I suppose it is.” 

Lena was quiet for a moment, and Satya presumed she was lost in thought, when she glanced at the tiny Hunter to see her head angled a bit as they walked.

Suddenly, Lena snapped to attention. She stopped and threw out a hand. “Listen! Up ahead.”

Satya focused hard, and inhaled sharply as she heard chittering and a deep growling voice. The Eliksni sounded deeper than even the captains in the other room had. A strange, mechanical sound, almost warbling, but heavy with bass, resounded through the floor. 

“Servitor,” Satya hissed. “And a Captain. A powerful one.”

“I can feel Light,” Lotus reported. “I can’t tell if it’s Fareeha or Okoro, but one of them is in there.”

Satya looked hard at Lena. “Arc Blade. Can you do it?”

Lena took a deep breath and held out her hand for Zipper to appear on. He looked at her, and Satya could see the determination in his eye. 

“Yes,” she said. “I’ll go in first, since I can cloak. It’ll give me a couple seconds, at least. When they see me and start goin’ crazy, I’ll use it. You come in then, okay? And we’ll go from there.”

Satya nodded. “I am amenable. You are certain your cloaking will protect you?”

“Not for long. Never was very good at it, if I’m honest, but I can do it! I have to. For Fareeha.”

“I will come in to back you up as soon as they notice you,” Satya said. 

Lena took a step forward.

“Tracer.”

“Hm?”

“... Be careful.”

She could feel the smile from the Hunter as she performed her signature two-fingered salute to her helmet.

She Blinked forward a few times until she vanished around the bend on the tunnel.

Satya cautiously followed, moving slowly so as not to make much sound. The agitated snarls of the Fallen grew louder, and she saw a slightly violet-hued glow. There was the deep, mechanical gurgle; a servitor. A big one, by the sounds of it.

She peered cautiously around the corner.

The cavern ahead was tiered with three levels terraformed in the walls. Caches of stolen loot lay stacked and scattered about the cavern. On the topmost level, an enormous Captain stood staring at a snarling Titan in blue and yellow armor, held in place by two Vandals with all their arms pinning hers. Another Vandal stood nearby with a metal box that rattled. 

The Servitor itself was on the second level, idling. The Captain was speaking to the Vandals holding Fareeha. Satya clenched her fists, the storm building once more. She held it at bay and waited. 

Something flickered with static, and she saw the little green dot on her radar.

Lena lept from cover, her cloaking undone, as arc sparked around her and her blades shimmered and crackled in her hands. The Fallen had no time to react before she was Blinking into their midst and slashing with precision and speed. 

Satya stepped out as well with Hard Light raised. She aimed carefully and the Vandal holding the box crumpled with a hiss of Ether. The box popped open, and Okoro zoomed out with glee. 

Reunited with her Light, Fareeha wrenched one arm from the Vandal and slammed her elbow into its chest. It staggered it enough to weaken the other’s grip. She whirled and punched one in the face before her rifle shimmered into existence in her hands and she burst the head from the other.

Satya, meanwhile, now turned her attention to the Servitor. It warbled its strange, mechanical sound and pulsated with light. Satya opened fire on its large eye as she walked into the cavern to collect Lena’s orbs and fuel her storm.

“Great shot!” Lena chirped as she zipped by. Her blades crackled out and she swapped to a side arm. 

“You four-armed coward bastard!” Fareeha’s voice rang out in rage. Satya turned to see her tackle the Captain, taking him wholly by surprise. Satya chuckled softly.

The Captain wrestled the furious Titan for a moment, but his size and multiple arms won out. He threw her off and she cursed as she slammed into the wall. 

Lena Blinked forward to stab a Dreg stalking up on Fareeha. “Piss off!” she snapped to its corpse. “You alright, love?”

Fareeha got to her feet. Fire burned in her eyes. “I will be,” she said.

“We will protect you,” Satya said. 

Fareeha gave her a nod, and she didn’t need to see her snarl of a grin to know it was there. 

The Captain started forward with his scorch cannon raised.

Fareeha flung out her hand and exploded into flames. 

Her rockets propelled her upwards as she launched the burning hammers down, raining them with a vengeance. Satya kept below her, flicking Hard Light’s streaks of solid arc energy to tear through anything that tried shooting her fireteam’s leader. Lena was a blur as she did the same with her blades and her sidearm.

A hammer slammed hard into the Servitor and its shell cracked and leaked Ether. Satya launched a grenade to finish it, and it burst apart into bits.

Fareeha landed and gripped her final hammer before bringing it down on the Captain and scorching him from the outside in. His body crumbled into dust and Ether.

Lena Blinked over the moment Fareeha’s fire flickered out. “Are you alright, love?” she asked. “Did they hurt you?”

“They caught Okoro and I when he revived me,” she said. “We’re okay.”

“They put me in a box!” Okoro’s shell spun in indignation. “A box! Like some kind of-- of-- little insect or something!”

Fareeha held out her hand to let the Ghost hover over her palm and fume. “We might have been a little careless,” she said wryly. She looked at her fireteam. “Thank you. Who knows what they would have done if you hadn’t saved me?”

“Bloody pirates,” Lena cursed, kicking a broken Shock Pistol aside. “Down a Servitor and a Captain, though!”

“An important one,” Satya agreed. She crouched above the body of the large Fallen. “It’s quite large.”

“Hold on, there’s something else,” Lotus said. Satya sent her out, and the Ghost scanned over the body. “Hm… this… isn’t a Captain.”

Zipper and Okoro joined Lotus. “You’re right,” Zipper said. “It’s a Baron.”

“It has coordinates to an entire fleet of Skiffs in orbit! A dozen of them, at least. And there’s even more around, but not under this Baron’s command, so it doesn’t have their location.” Okoro looked up at his Guardian in concern. “We should tell the Vanguard ASAP.”

“That’s pretty bad news,” Fareeha agreed. “Let’s get back before any more Devils show up and try to get revenge on their Baron.”

“It will have set them back,” Satya said. “Defeating a Baron is no small feat, and will slow the Devils down with… whatever they were doing here.”

“And we can take all this stuff,” Lena added. “Lots of supplies for the City!”

“I will ping the Commander,” Okoro said as he flew back to Fareeha. “He’ll want us back for a report.”

“Let’s not keep him waiting, then,” Satya said as she holstered Hard Light. 

“And you wanted to talk to Ikora,” Lena reminded her. Satya nodded her thanks.

The three Guardians backtracked through the twisting caves, mostly quiet and lost in thought, until the air became colder and brighter. Their armor clattered as they climbed out of the steep pit that led into the small run-down building that sheltered the entrance to the Fallen’s secret hideout. Snow hid the piles of rubble that were once one of the walls of the building. 

Their boots crunched over gravel and snow as they stepped out into bright daylight. Their helmets adjusted to the change of light and filtered the bitter cold air into something more warm and breathable for Satya’s organic companions. 

“Preparing to transmat to orbit,” Lotus said.

Fareeha turned to her fireteam. “Thank you. Again. You guys saved me.”

“That’s what we do!” Lena’s smile was not lost behind her helmet. “We’re a team!”

“You would do it for us,” Satya agreed. “You have.”

Fareeha’s shoulders softened. Not long ago, Satya had gotten caught in a Vex’s time loop on Venus, and Fareeha had brought swift justice to the Mind keeping her trapped. Satya was grateful she made it out without harm. After that, they had decided to work together more often. 

“I haven’t worked with a Bladedancer in a while. That was amazing, Lena,” Fareeha said. 

“Aw, thanks.” Lena bounced on her heels. “And thanks for asking me to come along! I know you usually work with McCree.”

Fareeha laughed. “He’s got his hands full! I’m waiting for him to dump those two new Hunters on Gabriel at some point. He’s like a magnet for Hunters. It’s too bad for Jesse, I might just replace him.”

“Can you imagine if he and those two tried being a fireteam?”

“They would spend half their time trying to revive each other, and the other half running in circles,” Satya said with a dry laugh.

“Probably!” Lena laughed. “I’ve been on a Hunter’s fireteam and it’s bloody insane. Never was a fan of the whole ‘loner’ thing a lot of other Hunters like so much.”

“I’m glad,” Fareeha said. “You were invaluable.”

“I would be pleased to work with you again,” Satya said with a firm nod. 

Lena seemed so excited, she Blinked in place. It was a good thing she wasn’t an Exo, Satya thought in amusement; if she were, Satya was sure she would short-circuit herself with that much energy.

“The Vanguard wants us home as soon as we can,” Okoro chimed in. “And Cayde said he’ll throw in a little extra Glimmer for Lena.”

Lena did a little cheer. “Let’s get drinks or something to celebrate! Or whatever you want to do!”

The other two Guardians laughed with her. “Not tonight,” Fareeha said, “but soon, for sure. I need to scrub all the Ether off my armor.”

“I am amenable,” Satya said with a little hesitance. 

“I can send Zipper and Okoro our schedule,” Lotus assured. “We have some free evenings.”

“Whatever makes you comfortable, Satya,” Fareeha said. “You can take your time.”

Satya was relieved by her understanding and respect of her needs. Most Guardians, and indeed civilians, were, but Fareeha had taken extra time to talk with Satya specifically about it. 

“See you back at the Tower, then?” Lena asked.

“I’ll race you,” Fareeha said. 

“It’s on!”

Satya held a hand to her mask to cover her laughter as the two transmatted to orbit. The snow around her bore their footprints, but it would be covered by a fresh layer as white and gleaming as Satya’s metal plating soon enough. And then, another team would come in and reclaim the Fallen’s supplies from this cave. 

Satya looked up the sky, pale blue and streaked with clouds so thin they were formless smears of gray. It was silent and peaceful. 

“Guardian, I’ve let Ikora know you want to see her,” Lotus said. “She will be happy to help in our meditations.”

“Thank you. I will need to harness the storm better. I fear the Devils will not take lightly to our killing of their Baron. My fireteam will need me at my strongest.” Satya breathed in air she didn’t need. 

“We will be,” Lotus promised. “Preparing for transmat.”

Satya closed her eyes and felt the eye within her as her Ghost pulled her into orbit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> satya x fareeha 4evr!!!1!! theyre in lesbians together  
> come stop by my tumblr @softbutchcowboy

**Author's Note:**

> Part one of ???? a lot, hopefully! I've got tons more waiting to be posted, so keep a lookout!!  
> Anyone guess the references on McCree and Hanzo's Ghosts' names?  
> Come drop by my tumblr @softbutchcowboy


End file.
